Local couple get new home and hope

Oct. 7, 2013

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Written by

Francesca Sacco

The Eagle-Gazette Staff

Edward Keller stands in front of the Habitat for Humanity home which was being built Saturday morning for him and his wife, Annia Keller. The Kellers lost a 25-acre plot of land with their home on it in 2004 due to foreclosure. The plot of land was their retirement residence they had been saving up for. Edward is also a survivor of prostate cancer, which he beat in 2001. / Ty Wright/Eagle-Gazette

Edward Keller holds up a wall for his new home Saturday morning. / Ty Wright/ Eagle- Gazette

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Habitat for Humanity volunteers erect pre-assembled walls at a home being built for Annia and Edward Keller in Lancaster on Saturday morning. The Kellers lost a 25-acre plot of land with their home on it in 2004 due to foreclosure. The plot of land was their retirement residence they had been saving up for. Edward is also a survivor of prostate cancer, which he beat in 2001. / Ty Wright/Eagle-Gazette

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LANCASTER — Saturday was an overwhelming and emotional day for Annia and Edward Keller.

The couple, who lost their home and 25-acre property to foreclosure, were doubtful they would ever own a home again.

But one by one, as the walls to their new home were assembled into place, the Lancaster couple quickly came to the realization they would soon be homeowners once more.

“It’s just a flood of emotions,” said Annia, 67. “It’s just hard to believe that this is going to be ours.”

In the late ’80s, the couple purchased 25 acres along Grubb Road, just east of Pleasantville. After years of saving, the couple built a home — and their retirement plan — on the property in 2000.

Just as the couple were settling in, Edward, 71, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001.

“He had surgery, and as he was recouping from that, he had a stroke,” Annia said. “The first of many.”

Annia said Edward was unable to work after the stroke, and soon, the couple were struggling to make their mortgage payment. The couple foreclosed on their Grubb Road home and property in 2004.

Eventually, Annia said they found a nice little apartment in Lancaster, but the older building was not handicap-accessible.

Hoping for a change, the Kellers signed up for a homeownership self-sufficiency program through the Fairfield Metropolitan Housing Authority. As they went through the program, Annia said, a case worker told them about Habitat for Humanity of Fairfield County and helped get the process started.

After applications, mountains of paperwork and a background check, the Kellers learned in March that they had been selected to receive a Habitat for Humanity home.

“A lot of people think that Habitat for Humanity is a handout,” Annia said. “But it’s not. It’s a handup. They help you along the way.”

Their first time seeing their new property along Twin Creek Way was a surreal experience, they said.

“It was just awesome to know the spot was ours,” Annia said.

On Saturday, volunteers from the community, Pope John XXIII Parish in Canal Winchester and the Madison Christian Church in Groveport gathered to make the Kellers’ new home a reality. John Watson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Fairfield County, called it a “good ol’-fashioned wall raising.”

Watson said the walls and roof to the Kellers’ home should be assembled by the end of the month. The two-bedroom, handicap-accessible home should be completed in January, Watson added.

Contrary to popular belief, Watson said, Habitat for Humanity does not give away houses.

“We partner with the family, and the family pays for it,” Watson said. “We sort of act like a mortgage bank.”

Watson said homeownership is life-changing for the families he works with.

“This serves them the rest of their lives,” he said.

Annia and Edward said they are thankful for the community’s support. They cannot wait to settle into their new home.

“It’s been a blessing,” Annia said. “God has opened up a window and poured out this blessing that is just hard to contain.”